The present invention relates generally to liquid filtering apparatus, and more specifically to multiple plate filter apparatus, preferably of the horizontal type, useful for filtering electroplating solutions and the like.
A conventional horizontal multiple plate filter apparatus used in the electroplating art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,711. The patented apparatus is characterized by a plating filter tank with a stacked arrangement of horizontal, annular filtering units. Each unit has a single filtering surface formed by a bi-layer screen consisting of one layer of plastic and one layer of cloth. These layers are held in place by a clamping member which fits into a recess in the filter unit. When the unit is assembled, the screen is positioned over the filter unit and the clamping member is fitted over the screen and inserted into the groove to hold the screen in place. During the cleaning cycle, it is necessary to reach into the plating solution from the top of the tank to retrieve the filter units.